Wednesday, October 8, 2014

The US Campaign held its 13th Annual National Organizers' Conference, The Mainstreaming of BDS & Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights, September 19-21 in San Diego.Below is the recording of our closing panel The Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights. Panelists shared their thoughts about moving forward following this year that has brought both so many important BDS wins but also yet another Israeli war on Gaza.Speakers:

Christian Ramirez, Human Rights Director at Alliance San Diego

Reem Assil, Arab Resource & Organizing Center

Robin D.G. Kelley, serves on the Advisory Board of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel

Hind Awwad, former coordinator with the Palestinian BDS National Committee

Moderator: Dina Omar, founding member of National Students for Justice in Palestine

The US Campaign held its 13th Annual National Organizers' Conference, The Mainstreaming of BDS & Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights, September 19-21 in San Diego.Below is the recording for our Saturday evening session featuring Ali Abunimah, co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, and Tariq and Suha Abu Khdeir. Tariq’s beating by Israeli police while visiting family in Jerusalem made headlines back in July.

The US Campaign held its 13th Annual National Organizers' Conference, The Mainstreaming of BDS & Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights, September 19-21 in San Diego.Below is the recording for the workshop Exposing the 1% & State of Israel’s Agenda to Silence Criticism of Israel & Promote Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab Racism: Organizing Against Backlash in ways that Strengthen Our Movement, Broaden Joint Struggle and Weaken Our Opposition.

The US Campaign held its 13th Annual National Organizers' Conference, The Mainstreaming of BDS & Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights, September 19-21 in San Diego.Below is the recording for the Carrying Out Effective BDS Actions workshop. Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaigns are not just about winning or losing- but also about the process that shifts the conversation to complicity in specific rights abuses and Israel’s system of occupation and apartheid on the ground. What are the elements of an effective campaign (research, successful partnerships, publicity/media)? How can you carry out effective BDS actions in your community? How do you mobilize your supporters and break out to those beyond the choir? These and other questions were addressed.

The US Campaign held its 13th Annual National Organizers' Conference, The Mainstreaming of BDS & Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights, September 19-21 in San Diego.

Below is the recording for the Mainstreaming BDS & Connecting Struggles panel. Earlier this year, the Israeli company Elbit Systems won a $145 million U.S. Department of Homeland Security contract to provide surveillance technology along the U.S.-Mexico border, just the latest example of the militarization of immigration “reform” that has included the deportation of more than 2 million people under President Obama. Elbit produces the drones used by Israel and provides “intrusion detection systems” for the Apartheid Wall. G4S, the private British security company that helps Israel run prisons where Palestinian political prisoners are held and many times tortured, is notorious for operating private prisons where people are abused and providing deportation services worldwide. The killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson, MO has highlighted the epidemic of police brutality and militarization against African-American communities in the United States and the similar tactics used to justify such violence, including the dehumanization of victims and corporate media distortions of reality. It has also been noted that a member of the St. Louis County Police Department that killed Brown had trained in Israel in the past. This panel highlighted opportunities for joint struggle and the importance of connecting our work for Palestinian rights with other movements for justice.

Speakers:

Amal Ali, former president of UC-Riverside Students for Justice in Palestine

Kristian Davis Bailey, journalist and former president of Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine

The US Campaign held its 13th Annual National Organizers' Conference, The Mainstreaming of BDS & Continuing Struggle for Palestinian Rights, September 19-21 in San Diego.

Below is the recording for our opening panel, Confronting Challenges to Palestine Activism, which highlighted the challenges facing advocates for Palestinian rights, including legal challenges to boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaigns and attempts at silencing critique of Israel. Over the past few months, there have been attempts to pass anti-BDS legislation both at the state level and in Congress, an increased number of attacks against BDS advocates by pro-Israel groups, and a number of cases of Palestinian scholars and activists facing repression, such as the U.S. government’s persecution of Rasmea Odeh and University of Illinois’ firing of Steven Salaita. The panelists reflected on these challenges to Palestine activism and how those working for Palestinian rights can fight back.

Speakers:

Rabab Abdulhadi, Senior Scholar of the Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Initiative, San Francisco State University

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